NC woman missing in Grenada likely drowned, husband says. But he says doubts remain

RALEIGH, N.C. — More than two weeks after a Cary woman went missing while on vacation in the Caribbean, her husband says the “most likely scenario” is that she drowned but that some details don’t add up.

Elizabeth “Liz” Waddell, 44, was last seen July 22 on Grand Anse Beach in Grenada, after security footage showed her swimming by a jetty near her Airbnb at about noon and later floating out of view, The News & Observer previously reported. Authorities have said she was never seen leaving the water.

At about 5:30 p.m. that day, Waddell was seen swimming far from the shore by a group of people on jet skis, according to Cailen Waddell, her husband. She reportedly expressed confidence in her swimming ability and declined their offers to bring her back to shore.

But in a written update on Friday, Cailen Waddell said that interaction was unusual for his wife — who he said was not a confident swimmer.

“It feels like I am missing some big piece of important information,” he wrote. “Liz loved a jigsaw puzzle. I think I might have the border complete, but the middle is a mess.”

‘I just can’t believe Liz made that swim,’ Cailen Waddell writes

Cailen Waddell said his wife took swimming lessons as an adult and was most comfortable in the water when using “flotation devices.” Waddell took four of the devices with her on the trip and used two of them earlier in Grenada, but she did not appear to use them the morning of her disappearance, he said.

Cailen Waddell — who has said previously that he swam the same route as Waddell on Grand Anse Beach while searching for her in July — said the water off Grand Anse Beach is smooth, "lake-like” and easy to float in.

But based on jet-skiers’ reported sighting of Waddell, she had been floating and treading water in Grand Anse Bay about 1/3 of a mile from shore and 1/3 of a mile northeast from Quarantine Point — a scenic destination west of the Grand Anse Beach — according to Cailen Waddell. He said the water would have been about 17 feet deep, according to his own research of the depth.

According to Cailen Waddell, the group spoke with his wife for five to 10 minutes and tried to convince her to ride back to shore with them. She reportedly replied “I’m a good swimmer” and gave them a thumbs up, which he said was out of character for her to say about her own swimming.

“I’ll comment that I’ve never heard Liz describe her swimming as good, but the rest of the conversation and their description of her was consistent with it being Liz,” Cailen Waddell wrote.

The reported sighting of his wife isn’t “100% certain,” he said, but based on all information of the interaction, family members believe it was Liz Waddell. The jet-skiers also agreed to meet with the family during the search and accompanied them on a boat to show them where they saw her, he said.

Liz Waddell’s friends and family joined search efforts in late July and returned to the U.S. on July 31, The N&O reported. Cailen Waddell said in a statement on July 29 that he, along with authorities did not suspect foul play in his wife’s disappearance.

“My commentary is I just can’t believe that Liz made this swim,” he wrote. “It is completely out of character for her, and seems far beyond my understanding of her swimming abilities.”

Drowning may be ‘most likely scenario,’ but questions remain

There is no known information of Waddell’s whereabouts after the 5:30 p.m. sighting, her husband said. But signs point to the fact Waddell may have drowned, he said.

“With absolute certainty, we don’t know,” Cailen wrote, but added, “Based on everything we know, it seems drowning may be the most likely scenario.”

Still, he said “a lot doesn’t make sense” in the case, like Waddell swimming for over five hours — from when she was first seen drifting away on security footage to when she was spotted later that evening.

Cailen Waddell said he doesn’t rule out the possibility of his wife currently being on land or on a boat, but said investigators have searched anchored boats, nearby shorelines and wooded areas without any signs of her. Authorities have also conducted aerial and underwater searches, they said.

The Royal Grenada Police Force is continuing to treat the case as a missing person investigation, he said. Grenadian authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the status of the search Friday afternoon.

“Liz is a free spirit, I can see her making friends and hanging out with people for an afternoon and showing up late in the day sunburnt and having had a great time,” Cailen Waddell wrote. “I can’t see her disappearing for 2 weeks.”

To piece together her disappearance, investigators have reviewed Waddell’s journal entries, emails, text messages, whatsApp and YouTube search histories, her husband said. But he said none of the evidence points to a desire to disappear, instead detailing hopes for the future with her husband and daughter.

“On the contrary, she journals about her growth, and lots and lots of her plans for the future, that include me, Suwan, and the rest of our family,” he wrote. “That said — if Liz swam out there, in my heart I believe something happened that made her not act rationally. The Liz I love, and have known for 23 years would not swim where she swam.”

Life in North Carolina since Waddell’s disappearance

In the post Friday, Cailen detailed his routine since returning to North Carolina without his wife — daily journaling, meditation and working out; coffee with friends and constant communication with Grenadian authorities on the status of the investigation. He said he’s also continuing to work as operations manager for Cary Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources.

Life still feels “surreal” as he’s been grieving the disappearance of his wife while also hoping the ongoing investigation in Grenada will yield answers about her last known moments.

“There are also things in the universe I simply can’t explain and to be perfectly honest, if Liz walked out of the jungle tomorrow and said, “Hey, where’s my passport?” I’d not be surprised and obviously get on a plane and go get her in a heartbeat,” he wrote.

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